The Hubo Project

Unveiling of six new Hubos

Motivation
The Hubo project is a multi-university collaboration between Drexel, MIT, Ohio State, Penn, Purdue, Southern California, VaTech, Georgia Tech, and Korean Advanced Institute for Science and Technology (KAIST). The central goal is to develop and disseminate a standard humanoid research platform: Hubo. The Hubo series of robots is developed by the Korean Advanced Institute for Science and Technology (KAIST). Its capabilities include smooth, human-like motions and force, torque, and inertial sensors for interacting with its environment. Simulation is available through OpenRAVE using a realistic model.

In January 2012, six new Hubo robots arrived at Drexel University for the first stage of the project. The robot's functionality was tested, initial improvements were made, and researchers from collaborating universities were trained to use the robot. Currently, a Hubo robot is being sent to six of these universities, allowing researchers to directly compare results and methods on the same platform. This allows more efficient validation of methods as well as collaboration among universities. Collaboration is particularly important since the project spans multiple disciplines, including artificial intelligence, digital, signal processing, mechanics, and control.